"I found myself drawn to minimalism, and more specifically to the West Coast finish-fetish guys, like John McCracken and Billy Al Bengston. A lot of those guys around that time were in one way or another influenced by car culture, either in the formation of their work—such as Richard Prince’s shields—or in the tools that they used to create it, as in Bengston’s sprayed auto-paint works. All that stuff just got me started obsessing, I suppose."
- Chad Petersen of Todosomething
Todosomething are some of the most talented guys I know. I met them through mutual friends, and eventually came to know their work, and appreciated how they approached their craft. A merge of conceptual art and beautiful woodworking, is there anything better?
In addition to working as an interior designer, I've started writing for my favorite design publications, such as Apartamento, Freunde von Freuden, Yatzer, and now Sight Unseen. I am lucky to be connected with these design publications & editors, as well as being invited into so many amazing studios here in L.A., such as Todosomething. - David John
Read my latest story on Todosomething for Sight Unseen.
"Todosomething is a Los Angeles–based design and fabrication studio that specializes in custom furniture and cabinetry with precise, exquisite finishes and subdued color palettes. But in the last few years, as their studio has grown, partners Chad Petersen and Dakota Witzenburg have begun producing their own products as well, which are extensions of their minimal design aesthetic—the ’60s-inflected, powder-coated metal (S)tool, the paint-tipped plywood A(+) Chair, a scorched-pine slab table with spindly steel legs. Between the two practices, which overlap in more than just appearance, they’ve cultivated a reputation as representatives of a certain Modern American style, one influenced by everything from Sol Lewitt to Shaker furniture."
(more on Sight Unseen)
All photographs by Marco Annunziata and David John
"My sculptural work explored the body’s relationship to objects and spaces. A lot of it had to do with my own size. I’m rather tall (6’5”), and standard doors can be a problem if I’m not paying attention. Tables and chairs don’t seem to work either. I started making my own furniture and objects to deal with these things out of necessity, though I noticed that they could really be Frankenstein-type objects and wouldn’t always work for other people. I think I’ve always paid particular attention to the relationships between things and it’s become an obsession that I’ve honed into a career."
- Dakota Witzenburg of Todosomething
more Todosomething here.
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